I Left My Heart in San Francisco
by Hidge
Summary: When you want something, it hurts that much more when you can't or are prevented from having it. Post 9x12 - "Walking on a Dream".
1. Part 1

**A/N: This is just a little interpretation of how things could potentially unfold over the next few weeks and it's just a one shot. I loved 9x12! It was awesome to see April kick butt at teaching and I kind of really enjoyed Stephanie being on her service, it was an interesting dynamic. Our April has really matured! Matt the paramedic is super cute and I can't wait to see where this new story line goes!**

**Enjoy! And the story description is taken from a Jesse Williams interview about Japril that was done earlier in the season :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's, obviously.**

* * *

Stephanie Edwards excitedly bounded through the halls of Seattle Grace Mercy West. Today had been a fantastic day, definitely one of the best that she had ever had as an intern so far, and she had never expected it to come on Kepner's service. She had certainly misjudged the red-headed attending and she couldn't wait until the next time that she got to run the ER.

Her already jovial mood lifted when she spotted Jackson. "Hey!" She greeted him excitedly. He turned towards her and she saw that he looked flustered, angry, and distracted. "Something wrong?" She asked in concern.

"No, nothing," he responded a little too quickly. "I just gotta change. I'll meet you in the lobby?"

She nodded with a smile and so he spun on his heel and headed towards the attendings' locker room.

He stepped into the room and silently observed its lone occupant. April was sitting on the bench in front of her locker with her head in her hands, her fingers rubbing her temples. He felt an uncomfortable twinge in his stomach and he swallowed harshly. She was clearly upset and all that he wanted to do was comfort her. But he couldn't because they weren't friends right now. She couldn't be his friend right now, she wanted space. But he had never been very good at restraining himself when it came to her.

"Are you okay?" He finally inquired.

She tried to discreetly wipe her eyes but he caught the motion. "I'm fine," she told him unconvincingly. She hopped to her feet and grabbed her clothes from her locker.

She tried to rush to the adjoining bathroom but he caught her by the hand and pulled her back towards him. "April, if you wanna talk, we can talk," he told her softly.

"I told you, I'm fine," she retorted defensively as she tried to free herself from his grasp. He shot her a look of exasperation and she groaned. "How do you think I'm feeling right now?" She asked rhetorically. "They're not threatening to cut your department. If there's no ER then there's no need for a trauma fellow. I doubt they'll keep me on as a general surgeon," she stated frantically.

"April—" he began but she cut him off.

"I just wanna go, Jackson," she whispered tearfully.

He reluctantly let her go and she ran into the bathroom. He sighed as he longingly looked at the closed bathroom door. He missed her too, probably more than she realized.

Jackson's mood didn't improve after he changed out of his scrubs and met Stephanie in the lobby. On the drive to his place, all that she could talk about was April. She was practically gushing. There was something distinctly unsettling about his girlfriend…or whatever, he supposed that Stephanie was his girlfriend…talking about how amazing his…April…was. It was definitely a turn-off. Just like earlier today in the on-call room when Stephanie had uttered April's name, he all of a sudden didn't feel like having sex. It was the furthest thing from his mind.

"Like Shane was totally right," Stephanie rambled as they walked through the front door of his apartment. "She's definitely not the dud; in fact, she's kind of a badass. She's quick and smart, and freakishly organized and efficient. She never runs out of energy, and running the pit is exciting. No offence," she laughed, "but I think that I want to spend more time in trauma. I'm gonna request to be on Kepner's service for the next few weeks."

Jackson walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. "Really? What about cardio?"

Stephanie simply shrugged. "Yang doesn't let me fly solo like Kepner does, and I kinda kicked ass today," she declared with a triumphant grin.

Jackson awkwardly scratched his chin as Stephanie enthusiastically recited her day to him. So Stephanie wanted to spend more time with April, he wasn't sure what to think or feel about that. He didn't want them to hate each other but he wasn't sure if he wanted them to get close either. It was slightly reminiscent of when he had been dating Lexie and had taken an interest in plastics.

So karma was a bitch.

For what had to be the millionth time, he wished that Mark Sloan was still alive. Mark would know exactly what to say to him. Well, he would probably poke some fun at the situation but then he would give genuine, intelligent advice. He would tell him to man up, to stop screwing around and figure out what he wanted. But what did he want? He thought that he had known the answer to that question. He had wanted April and a life with her, but he had spent the last two months trying to forget about that so he wasn't sure what he wanted now. Stephanie was great but she wasn't…

"I guess I should tell you," he began tentatively, "they're talking about closing the ER."

Stephanie's mouth dropped open in shock and her initial response was exactly what Jackson's had been when Dr. Cahill had told them the news. "What does that mean for Dr. Kepner?"

* * *

April dabbed her eyes with a wet washcloth before she reapplied her makeup. She wasn't sure if she could salvage her appearance but she supposed that she should try. She had convinced herself that this coffee date was a good idea but she wasn't so sure anymore. Matthew seemed nice and sweet, and he was very cute and _very _tall. And it's not like she got a lot of offers. She had been completely caught off guard when he had asked her out and she had certainly felt flattered. But after that horrendous staff meeting and running into Jackson, she just felt drained. Honestly, she wanted to go home and cry herself to sleep.

She grabbed her purse out of her locker before she walked to the lobby and found Matthew waiting for her.

He hopped to his feet with a bright smile. "Hi!" She smiled back weakly and he frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Well, not really," she quickly corrected herself. "We just had a pretty terrible staff meeting and I probably won't be the best company right now."

"Oh," he answered sympathetically. "I'm sorry. We could talk, if you want," he started to ramble nervously. "Or you could talk and I could listen, or if you don't feel like talking then I could just talk, or we could both not talk and just drink coffee."

April couldn't help but laugh, he was just as dorky as she was. It was comforting, he made her feel at ease and he sounded sincere. "Do you think we could get something to eat instead? I'm kind of hungry."

"Sure," he grinned. "Dinner sounds great."

* * *

Two weeks later…

"I can cook!" Matt exclaimed stubbornly. He turned to the beautiful woman sitting beside him and smiled as he watched her laugh. "I can," he repeated firmly. "You should come over tonight and I'll show you. I will cook the most delicious meal you've ever had."

April stopped laughing as her mind turned in a very dangerous direction. She loved spending time with Matt. He was wonderful and the past two weeks had been fun and carefree. He made her feel like it was okay to be herself, something that Jackson had never really done when they had been together. However, she was still apprehensive about the idea of a serious physical relationship with another man. She was very attracted to Matt, and she definitely felt…tempted…but she still hadn't figured out what she wanted to do in regards to sex.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she mindlessly pushed her fork through the salad sitting in her lap. "You want me to come over to your place?"

He could sense that she had tensed up so he gently nudged her shoulder with his own and joked, "Get your mind out of the gutter."

He smiled again when she started to giggle and he leaned forward with the intention of kissing her. He pressed his forehead against hers and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She paused for a second before she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. One of her hands tugged on his jacket to pull him even closer while the other threaded through the hair on the back of his neck.

"What time do you want me to come over?" She asked against his lips as she felt her face flush.

He hummed satisfyingly. "Whenever you get off work. The sooner the better."

"Okay," she murmured before she kissed him one more time before returning to her lunch.

* * *

Jackson stepped outside the emergency room and onto the pavement and he was surprised to see April sitting on the nearby bench next to a burly paramedic. Jackson instantly recognized the guy as Matt Taylor, they had spoken on a handful of occasions and they were in a fantasy football league together. But what was he doing with April? And what the hell was his hand doing on her leg?

Matt saw him first and greeted him pleasantly. "Hey Dr. Avery, how's it going?"

"Uh, good," he stammered. "I was just looking for April," he said as he gestured towards his former best friend.

"What's up?" She smiled up at him.

Jackson was slightly taken aback by how happy she appeared. He hadn't seen her like that since…

He cleared his throat before he spoke, "I need a consult after lunch and I was just wondering if you're busy or not." Truthfully, he wanted to know if she was ready to be friends again, if she was ready to work together again. "If you're busy I can get Bailey or Meredith."

"No, I'm not busy. I'll meet you in like twenty minutes?"

Jackson simply nodded before he turned around and headed back inside the emergency room. He was in a little bit of a daze when Stephanie ran up to him.

"Have you seen Dr. Kepner?"

"Yeah, she's uh, she's outside," he replied awkwardly.

"Oh," Stephanie grinned, "with Matthew?" She continued when she saw Jackson's brow furrow in confusion. "They eat lunch out there every day. _So cute_."

"So, they're like a couple, or what?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could.

"Yup," Stephanie chirped before she returned to her work.

Jackson blinked a few times before he turned around and faced the emergency entrance with his hands on his hips. Unfortunately, his view was absolutely nauseating. Matt was getting aboard his ambulance, but he couldn't leave before he gave April a long kiss in parting. Jackson felt an inexplicable rage boil inside of him at the sight. He had never felt like this before, not even when Lexie had thrown a softball at Mark's girlfriend. This was April kissing another guy, dating another guy, and she hadn't even told him! Was she doing it to get back at him? Or even worse, was she moving on? He got even angrier when he realized that Stephanie knew everything about April and the paramedic, and she thought that they were _so cute_.

Nauseating.

When April finally joined him at the nurses' station to prepare for their consult, he was so worked up that he had no control over what came out of his mouth.

"So you and the paramedic, huh?" He blurted out.

"Yeah," she replied timidly as she took the patient's chart from him.

Jackson ran a hand over his closely shaven head in frustration. That's all she had to say? _Yeah_? "Were you gonna tell me?" He asked through gritted teeth.

She glanced up at him and sighed. She didn't understand why he was so upset. He had moved on, she was just trying to do the same. "Yeah," she answered quietly. "I was going to tell you, it's just a different situation than when you told me about Stephanie."

He narrowed his eyes. "How so?" He questioned incredulously.

She didn't have to explain herself. It _was _different and he knew it. He had taken her virginity. He had broken her heart. He had a girlfriend now, who she actually liked, and Jackson didn't have to see Matt every day. Clearly, two very different situations! And he was fine so it shouldn't matter that she was dating a guy that she really liked.

She remained silent so he fired another question at her. "Are you sleeping with him?"

She turned to face him so quickly that she was surprised that she didn't crick her neck. "Excuse me?" She retorted with wide, disbelieving eyes. "That's not any of your business."

"I disagree," he replied automatically. "I think that it definitely is my business."

Since sex and April's feelings of guilt surrounding sex because of her relationship with God had been the biggest hurdle…well, more like a brick wall…in their relationship, he felt that he had the right to know if she was suddenly sleeping with someone else.

April forcefully pushed the patient's chart into his chest. "Get Meredith to do your consult," she told him before storming away.

Jackson huffed angrily and tried to regain his composure by taking long, deep breaths. He saw Jo Wilson out of the corner of his eye and he had absolutely no idea how long she had been standing there. "Wilson!" He barked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm on your service," she reminded him.

"Right," he breathed. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before he spoke again. "Can you page Dr. Grey for a consult, please?"

* * *

After a very long day, Stephanie and Jo changed into their street clothes in the interns' locker room side by side.

"What are you doing tonight?" Stephanie asked conversationally as she lifted her tired arms above her head to pull off her scrub top.

"Drinking at Joe's with Alex. Wanna come?"

"Maybe," she replied unsurely. She thought for a moment before she decided to quietly add, "Jackson's been acting really weird lately."

Jo halted shimming into her jeans at her friend's words. What were the chances that Avery acting strange and the conversation that she had overheard today were unrelated?

Stephanie must have noticed her troubled expression because she inquired, "What is it? Do you know something? Has Alex said anything?"

Jo slowly shook her head as she pulled up her zipper. "I just overheard a really weird conversation today."

"Between who?" Stephanie asked nosily.

"Avery and Kepner." Stephanie tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "I was bringing him some charts," she started to explain, "and I guess they were talking about her new boyfriend and he asked if she was sleeping with him. She told him that it wasn't any of his business and he said that it was."

"That's not weird," Stephanie replied after Jo finished talking.

"Come on," the other intern scoffed. "It is weird, and you didn't see the way that he was looking at her."

Stephanie finished changing her clothes and slammed her locker door shut. "He's probably just worried about her. They've known each other since they were interns, they're probably really close." She had heard hospital rumors about their relationship but she wasn't sure what was true and what was false. However, she did know that they had come over from Mercy West together and that they had both lost friends in the hospital shooting a few years ago.

Stephanie grabbed her bag and left the room and Jo frowned to herself. She was of the opinion that her friend had a serious case of denial.

* * *

The next day Stephanie was back on Jackson's service and was excited by the prospect of scrubbing in on a reconstructive surgery on a burn patient. Hopefully, after today, the function and appearance of his left arm would be totally normal. She became even happier when she met the patient and saw that he was in great spirits. He was cracking jokes, pleasantly chatting, and just as eager for the surgery as she was.

"Any questions Jeff?" Jackson asked once they had finished talking through the procedure.

"I need to know what to do about Amanda," Jeff grinned.

Jackson smiled to himself at the mention of the familiar name. This was his second operation with Jeff so he knew all about Amanda.

However, Stephanie did not. "Who's Amanda?" She asked with a smile.

"My best friend. We were a thing but I was an idiot and now we're not anymore." Jeff turned to Jackson and filled him in. "But she's got a new guy now and she's happy, and it's killing me. I wanna knock him out every time I see him."

Jackson laughed to himself. He could relate. He had not been happy this morning when he'd had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing Matt bring April her morning coffee.

"Maybe I need a female opinion," Jeff smiled. "What do you think Dr. Edwards?"

"Well," Stephanie began. "You love her and you just want her to be happy, right?" He nodded so she continued, "Then I think that you have to let her be happy with him."

"Wait, what?" Jackson intervened. Both sets of eyes turned to him so he explained, "I mean, what if he can make her happier than this other guy? He knows her better than anyone else, they've been through everything together, that means a lot. Sometimes it means everything."

Stephanie looked down at her feet awkwardly and Jackson cleared his throat.

"I'll be back to walk you down to pre-op, Jeff," he stated before he fled the room.

He ducked into an empty on-call room and kicked over an empty trash can in frustration. What the hell was he doing? He hadn't even meant to say any of that in there; it had all just unwillingly rushed out. He was so messed up.

He had been so sure that ending things with April had been the right thing to do for the both of them. He had just wanted them to stop hurting each other. But he had hurt her when he had told her about Stephanie, it had been written all over her face. And he was hurting now. It was killing him that she seemed so happy with someone else…someone who didn't know her half as well as he did. The guy was essentially a stranger.

He had done a lot of things wrong along the way, they both had, but he still blamed San Francisco. San Francisco was the root of all of their problems. If he had handled things differently back then maybe…well maybe things would be different now. A part of him wished that she had never kissed him outside of her hotel room but it was a very small part. When it came down to it, he didn't really regret anything.

Yeah, he blamed San Francisco for how messed up he was.

…And the fact that he had no idea where to go from here. What was he supposed to do now? Let her be happy? Go after her? If he did go after her, he had no idea what he was going to say. They never seemed to say the right things to each other.

He sat down on the edge of the bottom bunk and repetitively ran his hands over his upper legs. He needed to think and he was in no condition to operate.

He needed his best friend so he sent April a quick text and hoped that she would come to him.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed this little ficlet and I'm hoping to have the last chapter of Comes and Goes out on Tuesday!**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	2. Part 2

**A/N: So I caved and decided to extend this story. Damn peer pressure. Lol. This won't be very long, probably two or three more chapters, and I will finish it by writing my interpretation of 9x16. The synopsis was just released so check it out! Hopefully, it will be an amazing Japril episode!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

* * *

April felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket so she pulled it out to see who was texting her. She expected a sweet message from Matt but instead she found a text from Jackson.

_Meet me in the on-call room on the third floor just down the hall from the nurses' station. Please._

She was about to text him back to tell him no and that he was an ass, but her pager went off before she had a chance to type. It was a 911 from the pit.

She rushed to the ER and found Dr. Hunt along with the majority of their surgical staff.

"There was a major pileup on the highway and Seattle Pres is full," Owen announced. "So they're coming to us!"

April couldn't help but smile to herself. She wasn't a sadistic person so she wasn't glad that there had been a car crash, but she did hope that something like this could prove that Seattle Grace Mercy West needed to keep their ER open.

"For the immediate future we will be all hands on deck," Owen continued, "so cancel and postpone all of your scheduled procedures. And Dr. Kepner will be running the show!"

April shot the Head of Trauma a slightly panicked look before her face reverted back to an expression of calm. She was glad to have the opportunity but she was slightly confused as to why Dr. Hunt wasn't running things himself. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Dr. Cahill was hovering over him like a vulture.

The doctors rushed to pull on their trauma gowns and April assumed that the helpful hands tying a knot in the back of hers belonged to Murphy, her intern for the week. She had assumed incorrectly and she shivered involuntarily when an all too familiar voice spoke in her ear.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday, I shouldn't have asked you that," Jackson whispered.

"No, you shouldn't have," she grumbled.

"I don't know what came over me."

She spun around to face him and spoke abruptly, "Its fine, let's just forget it ever happened."

Jackson pursed his lips to keep himself from responding. That was her reaction to everything. She always wanted to sweep the complicated things under the rug, to forget that they ever happened. He hated it but what if that was actually a legitimate solution to their problems.

If they could just go back and forget everything that had happened between them, like Jesus being disappointed in her, her going back to Moline, the pregnancy scare, and even Stephanie and the paramedic, maybe they could be happy…together. Maybe they just needed to start over.

All of these thoughts were swirling through Jackson's head as he followed April towards the emergency entrance.

* * *

After a very long day, Jackson stepped into Jeff's room with a smile. "Hey man, sorry we had to postpone your surgery until tomorrow."

"It's okay," Jeff shrugged, "that was a big accident."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed quietly.

"So," Jeff began after a long pause, "I don't think that I can let her be happy with him. That makes me a terrible person, doesn't it?"

Jackson shook his head as he stepped forward and moved to perch himself on the edge of Jeff's bed. "I don't think so. I think that it makes you a guy in love."

Jeff grinned as he astutely commented, "You're just saying that because you're a terrible person too."

Jackson chuckled and admitted, "That is a definite possibility."

"So what's she like? She must be something special."

Jackson scratched his head as he smiled to himself. It was hard to describe April Kepner. She really was different than anybody he had ever known…that's what he loved about her. He opened his mouth to answer Jeff's question but stopped when a familiar voice spoke behind him.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Dr. Avery?"

He turned around to face Stephanie and instantly felt guilty. He _was_ a terrible person. He was sleeping with an intern because he wanted to get over April. It was what Lexie had done to him, she had entered into a relationship with him to get over Mark, and he had come out the other side feeling pretty broken, and now he was doing the same exact thing to someone else.

Again, karma was a bitch.

He followed Stephanie out of the room and into an empty on-call room. "What's up?" He asked casually.

"I don't think that we should do this anymore," she told him softly. "I should be focusing on my career."

Jackson was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this; she hadn't been acting any differently over the past few days. "Okay," he replied slowly.

"Besides, you're in love with Dr. Kepner," she stated matter-of-factly.

He stared at her in confusion. "What?" He knew that he loved April but he wasn't sure if he was _in love_ with her. He had loved before, but he had never been in love, and feeling that way about April was just so…utterly terrifying. He had never been brave enough to confront those growing feelings. He had buried them, pushed them aside, had tried to tell himself that it wasn't serious, just sex. "April and I, we…" He wasn't sure how he was going to finish that sentence and luckily, he didn't have to.

"You get all weird whenever I talk about her and Jo told me about the conversation that you guys had the other day. Then there's what you said to our patient, and you couldn't stop looking at her today," she finished quietly.

"We were…together, but I've moved on," he argued desperately.

Stephanie sucked in a breath before she told him, "No, you haven't. You're jealous of her boyfriend, it's pretty obvious."

Jackson ran a hand over his head, his nervous tick, as he and Stephanie shared an uncomfortable silence. He felt like such an awful person. He felt like an ass because he knew that the intern had liked him and he had used her for sex anyway. And he had barely given her a second thought over the past few days because his mind had been so preoccupied by April. He needed to say something but he knew that nothing that he said would make this situation any better.

"I'm sorry," he finally uttered.

Stephanie simply shrugged. "It's okay. Really." She knew that she had been playing with fire when she had started to sleep with an attending. She just hadn't realized that her attending was in love with someone else. To make matters even more complicated, she enjoyed learning from Kepner. So it was time to put her career first.

"You deserve better," he told her sincerely.

"Yeah," she grinned and he chuckled along with her. "So what are you gonna do?" She asked curiously after she had taken a breath.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What are you gonna do to get her back?" She elaborated.

"I dunno," he replied after a moment.

"Wow, you are bad at this," she teased.

Jackson couldn't help but smile. Stephanie was so great, why couldn't he have just fallen for her? Right, because he was in love with a neurotic red-head.

* * *

April smiled at Matt over her shoulder as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Today had been a great day and they had just finished a great date. The ER had been cleared before she left the hospital and she trusted Murphy with her post-ops. She was in such an incredible mood and she had the day off tomorrow, she didn't want their evening to end just yet. She chewed on her bottom lip before she asked him, "Do you want to come in? Have a drink? Watch a movie?" He took longer to respond than normal and she instantly regretted her decision. "Unless you have to work early tomorrow morning."

"No," he answered before she changed her mind. "I'd love to come in," he smiled. He just didn't want to sound too eager; he didn't want to pressure her into anything.

He followed her through the front door and into her living room. "Make yourself comfortable," she told him before she headed into her kitchen.

Matt did as she said and removed his jacket before he lowered himself down onto her couch. He suddenly realized that he was nervous, like really nervous. He didn't know what she was thinking but he was trying not to expect anything. They were taking things slowly, they hadn't even moved past first base. And he really liked her; he didn't want to mess things up by making the wrong move.

She returned to the living room with two beers and she handed him one with a smile. He thanked her and angled his body towards hers when she sat down next to him. He frowned when he noticed her stretch her neck. "You've been doing that all night. What's wrong?"

She groaned and complained, "I have this really bad knot in my neck."

Matt wasn't surprised, he knew how busy she had been in the ER all day. "Come here." He smiled sweetly and beckoned her towards him. She tentatively scooted closer to him and turned her back towards him. He laid his beer on the coffee table, on top of a coaster, before he swept her hair to the side and started to massage her neck.

April bit down on her bottom lip to stop a moan from escaping her mouth. This was very risky behaviour. His hands were sending shivers down her spine and she could imagine what other things they were capable of. She really liked Matt; she could see herself falling for him in the not so distant future. They were from very similar backgrounds and he was just as nerdy as she was. He understood her hectic work schedule and he had been very open and honest about his faith and the fact that it was important to him. He was the kind of guy that she had always imagined herself with. He filled every box on her imaginary checklist. She could picture a life with him, but…

"Is this better?" He asked huskily.

"Yeah," she replied shakily.

Matt leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "You seem a little uncomfortable. Do you want me to go?"

She shook her head and pivoted around to face him. "No, I don't want you to go," she clarified. "I just don't want there to be any…misunderstandings about why I invited you in."

"There aren't," he smiled. "I'm completely fine with watching a movie."

She sighed in relief. He was so honest and upfront, it was refreshing, and attractive. "Okay," she replied perkily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her for a kiss. "Can we make out a little instead?" She asked against his mouth.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "I'd be fine with that too."

April laughed as he snuck one arm around her waist. His other hand grabbed her behind the knee and tickled the sensitive skin there. He used the leverage to tug her into him so that their chests were pressed together and the inside of her leg was brushing his side, and as he did so, he looked at her with large, darkened, passionate eyes. She felt a familiar and dangerous warmth spread throughout her body.

Before she had the chance to overthink the situation, she kissed him roughly, which he seemed to enjoy based on the groan she heard come from the back of his throat and the way that his hand tightened around her waist.

They continued to kiss as he lifted her backwards until her back was pressed against the arm of her sofa. She wrapped her already lifted leg around him and her dress slipped down to her upper thighs. She could feel the quality of their movements start to change from light-hearted to intense and she knew that she didn't want to stop…at least not right now. She really didn't have any willpower and she knew that a lot of her insecurities were getting the better of her. It felt great to be wanted and she didn't want that feeling to go away.

She ran her hands down his back before she frantically pulled his shirt out of his pants. Her fingers opened the buttons as fast as they could while his hand caressed her bare leg. His mouth dropped to her neck and she tilted her head to the side to allow him better access. She moaned as he nipped her skin and she felt the muscles of his chest beneath her fingertips. He was unbelievably built and toned.

"How is your skin so soft?" He murmured against her neck. She giggled loudly and he raised his head to look at her. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" He asked in embarrassment.

"Yeah, but it's okay, your skin is kinda soft too." She laughed softly before she placed both of her hands on the sides of his face to kiss him firmly. "Take off your shirt," she muttered through kisses.

"Ya know, you can't boss me around like you do in the ER," he teased. In reality, she could boss him around as much as she wanted because he found it unbelievably sexy.

He tossed his shirt aside and resumed kissing her. He had never dated a woman like April Kepner before. He had always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve but he was falling for her even quicker than he had anticipated. It hadn't taken very long to realize that she wasn't just someone that you dated; she was the type of woman that you married.

April pulled away from him in confusion when her doorbell rang. It was late and she didn't get a lot of visitors. She kissed him softly before she said, "You wait here while I go and get rid of whoever that is."

"Good idea," he responded breathlessly as he sheepishly glanced down at his lap.

April unsteadily got to her feet and raced to her front door. Without thinking, she pulled open the door, and her visitor was the last person that she expected to see.

"Jackson? What are you doing here?" She stepped out onto her front step and pulled the door closed behind her so that Matt wouldn't have to overhear their conversation.

"I, um I…" He wasn't even sure where to begin. He had never spilled his heart before. He revealed the hand that was behind his back and smiled as he offered the flowers that he had bought for her at Stephanie's insistence. He thought that it was a little cheesy but Stephanie firmly believed that April was the kind of girl that would like a guy bringing her flowers. "Here. Pink roses and gardenias, they're what you put on Charles and Reed's graves every year so I figured that you liked them."

She tentatively accepted the bouquet of flowers from him. "What are you doing here?" She repeated.

"I want that clean slate you talked about. I want to start over," he confessed. "We can go back to the beginning, before San Francisco. Sex can be completely off the table. We can date and take things as slow as you want. I've never even taken you to a restaurant," he chuckled humorlessly. He paused to take a breath before he finished, "I think we deserve a second chance."

"Jackson, you…you have a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend. We can be friends again now."

He shook his head. "No, we can't."

"Why not?" She inquired almost petulantly.

"Because every time I look at you all I wanna do is kiss you," he quoted her words with a small smirk.

She stared at him with her mouth agape and it was only then that he took a moment to really look at her. She was wearing a long-sleeved, knee length, black dress that gave her fantastic cleavage. Her long auburn hair was curled and a little messy, and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"You look gorgeous by the way," he whispered.

She tilted her head towards her closed apartment door. Her throat constricted and tears stung the back of her eyes. "I'm on a date."

Jackson glanced at his watch and swallowed harshly. It was almost midnight and she was still on a date, he didn't need to be a genius to figure out what that meant.

They both opened their mouths but were interrupted by the apartment door opening. April jumped in surprise while Jackson awkwardly tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Hey Dr. Avery," Matt smiled as he stood protectively behind April.

"Hey," Jackson mumbled in reply. "I just wanted to drop by and tell April thanks for helping me out with a patient today. Well, I'll see you later." He ran down the steps towards his car without looking back. He just had to get out of there.

Matt waited until Avery's car had pulled away before he stated quietly, "He brought you flowers."

"Yeah," April swallowed as she turned around and pushed Matt back inside her place.

Just when all thoughts of Jackson Phillip Avery had been moved to the backburner in her mind, he went and did something like this. He was so frustrating! She walked into her kitchen and angrily tossed the flowers in her hand in the garbage. He had no right to come to her apartment and say all of those things just because he was what? Jealous?

"Are you okay?" Matt called from the doorway.

"Yup! Never been better!"

"Good," he responded, "because I am also okay with guys as good-looking as Avery bringing my girlfriend flowers in the middle of the night."

April raised her head to look at him apologetically but she noticed that he had a wry smile on his face. "You're joking," she said more to herself than him. "Are you actually okay with what just happened?"

Matt shrugged as he slowly walked towards her. "April, it's not like I don't know a lot about what went on between you and him." She raised an eyebrow and he grinned, "Paramedics talk."

"Wow," she whispered. She was silent for a long time before she met his gaze and placed her hands on his waist. "So you're telling me that you already knew how messed up I was and you asked me out anyway? What is wrong with you?" She teased.

He smiled as he threaded a hand through her hair and tilted her head upwards so that he could lightly peck her lips. "I just find you kind of irresistible."

April smiled as she returned his kiss. Yes, Matt was definitely the kind of guy she was supposed to be with. She just had to keep telling herself that.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who follow Comes and Goes, I am very sorry that I haven't updated yet! I got caught up in this story and school work but I will finish it ASAP!**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	3. Part 3

**A/N: So obviously, in this story they are not closing the ER as swiftly as they did in the show. I'm going to drag that out a little.**

**So the things I loved about 9x14: April and Matt, Alex and Jo, Derek trying to protect everyone, everybody working together to be badass (lol) and Callie and Webber were hilarious. Great episode! Can't wait until April asks Jackson for dating advice. Should be interesting! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's or any novels.**

* * *

As Jackson left the locker room after changing into his scrubs, he walked the hallways of Seattle Grace Mercy West and couldn't have felt happier that April had the day off. She was the very last person that he wanted to see today. Last night had been humiliating, to say the least. He had finally come clean to April about how he felt and what he wanted, and in his opinion, in a fairly romantic way, and her reaction hadn't been what he had hoped for. It hadn't been what he had realistically envisioned either. Maybe it was his ego but he had pictured her being completely receptive to his idea. She would smile and kiss him, and invite him inside…

If everything had gone to plan, he would be making her breakfast right now, after they had spent the night talking and kissing. He just didn't see what this paramedic had that he didn't. The guy was good-looking but he was kind of dorky and awkward. What was so special about their relationship? They hadn't even known each other that long.

Maybe he was just completely delusional.

He grabbed a stack of his patients' charts from the nurses' station and headed down the hallway. He turned the corner and came face to face with April. He grimaced and realized that it was impossible for him to run away now, she had already seen him. But what the hell was she doing here? It was her day off! She was still in her street clothes so obviously she wasn't planning on staying at the hospital long.

A relieved smile spread across her face when their gazes met. "Jackson, can we talk?" He shook his head and began to stammer out an excuse but she spoke again, "Please."

He had never been able to say no to her and now was no exception. Not when she looked at him with that soft smile and those adorable dimples. "Okay," he nodded.

They walked into the office behind the nurses' station and Jackson laid his stack of charts on a nearby table. He turned to her expectantly and tried to appear as normal and casual as possible. He was committed to protecting his heart this time around.

"You really caught me off guard last night," she began timidly.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know what came over me," he lied. He had been using that phrase to explain his actions a lot lately and he really didn't like it.

April looked down at the floor and sighed. This was one of the reasons why they couldn't be together. He kept changing his mind about what he wanted. One minute he wanted to marry her and the next, he didn't even want to date her. One week he wanted to be her friend and the next, he was showing up on her doorstep talking about second chances. He kept changing his mind about her, and she wasn't secure enough to deal with that. Matthew didn't mince words about what he wanted and he was clear, upfront, and honest about his feelings for her. It made her feel so much more confident in their relationship.

Another reason they couldn't be together is because she was afraid that he would eat her alive. She was afraid that she would lose herself in him. His passion and intensity was overwhelming, and she was just discovering who she truly was and what she could become. She needed someone a little more grounded. Someone like Jackson Avery was practically scorching to the touch, and she needed something…cooler.

"Have you ever read _Mrs. Dalloway _by Virginia Woolf?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "A really long time ago." He had been required to read that novel in his first year university English course. "Why?" He really didn't want to talk about literature right now.

She quickly shook her head. "Never mind. I just…I…are we okay? Will we be okay?" She asked in concern. She knew deep down that she needed his friendship in her life. No matter how hard it was now, things would get better…eventually.

"Yeah, we will," he spoke in a whisper. He answered her but he was unable to look her in the eye. His gaze was fixed over her shoulder and he was longing to run away from her. What he had said had been true, he really did want to kiss her every time he looked at her. Right now, the urge was stronger than usual. "I think we just need to…"

"Take some time apart?" She supplied.

He nodded. "Yeah, just some space."

"Okay." She smiled sadly before she turned on her heel. Her hand wrapped around the doorknob but she turned back to him before she left the room. "I'll see you later?" She asked with a hopeful smile.

He nodded again. "Yeah, sure."

She left the room and Jackson slowly exhaled the breath that he had been holding. Is this how she had felt after he had ended things between them? After he had told her about Stephanie? If so, he felt like the world's biggest asshole because what he was feeling right now was unbearable. Like someone had reached into his chest, ripped out his heart, and was now attempting to feed it to him. It sucked.

It was clearer to him than ever before that he wanted April back, and he wanted to keep her this time.

* * *

April mindlessly picked at her salad as she replayed Jackson's words in her head. She was having lunch with Matthew in a nice café while he was on his break but she was completely off in her own world. She faintly heard his voice and she raised her head to smile at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Matt reached across the table and gently took her hand. "I said you seem distracted, what's going on?"

She tried to shake off her lingering thoughts of her conversation with Jackson. She was spending time with her boyfriend; Jackson Avery should be the last thing on her mind. "Nothing, I'm fine. I'm sorry," she apologized again.

"It's okay," he replied sincerely. "But if something is bothering you than you can tell me."

She sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. "It's Jackson," she confessed guiltily.

Matt awkwardly shifted in his seat and tried not to appear too uncomfortable with her new line of conversation. He knew that the two surgeons were friends but still…

He had always liked Dr. Avery…or more accurately, he had liked the man prior to hearing about his involvement with April Kepner. He felt like the guy hadn't really appreciated her while they had been together and Matt had been envious of their relationship. He felt lucky just to be having a quick lunch with her. He had harboured a crush on the red-headed trauma surgeon for a long time before he had worked up the courage to speak to her.

April tilted her head and regretfully squeezed her eyes shut. She shouldn't be bringing this up when the man sitting across from her was so wonderful and perfect for her. "I'm sorry," she apologized yet again.

"It's okay," he chuckled, "stop apologizing." He slowly ran his thumb along the back of her hand. "You can talk about him if you want. Last night had to have been a little rattling for you."

"God," she smiled as she squeezed his hand. "You are so…perfect."

He smiled and ducked his head bashfully. She had no idea the effect that she had on him. It was a miracle that he had survived an innocent make out session on her sofa without looking like a bumbling idiot. He ran his free hand over his face before he locked eyes with her again. "You make me nervous," he admitted. He currently felt like he was sweating bullets and the collar of the standard issue white shirt of his paramedic uniform was itchier than usual.

"I make you nervous?" She questioned disbelievingly.

"Oh yeah," he confirmed. "You make me ridiculously nervous."

April couldn't help but smile infectiously. "Well you can relax," she responded playfully. In an out of character move, she leaned across the table and softly kissed him.

* * *

Alex joined Jackson at a cafeteria table and observed him curiously. "Dude, are you reading?"

Jackson nodded absentmindedly as he remained focused on the words in front of him.

"_Mrs. Dalloway_?" Alex questioned in confusion after reading the front cover. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a British classic," Jackson replied.

"But why are you reading it?"

"Research," he mumbled.

Alex occupied himself by eating his lunch while Jackson sat in silence and read. He had never seen the guy read a book that wasn't related to medicine so he had no idea what the hell he was doing picking up a new hobby now. "So," he began tentatively. "Jo told me that you and Stephanie broke up."

Jackson folded down the corner of the page that he was on before he laid the book down on the table in front of him. "Yeah, we did."

Avery didn't seem too broken up about it and Alex couldn't say that he was surprised. They had just been fooling around; Avery hadn't put much effort into the relationship in any area besides the bedroom. It had only been a matter of time. But he offered his sympathy anyway.

"Sorry, man." The dark-skinned man simply shrugged in response. "You gonna get back with Kepner or what?" He probed. In Alex's opinion, it was only a matter of time before that happened too.

Jackson was taken aback by his friend's perceptiveness. "Why would you say that?"

"Come on," Alex chuckled. "It's pretty easy to tell that you're still hard up for her. Otherwise why would you have jumped into bed with an intern?"

The peds surgeon returned to eating his lunch as if he hadn't unpacked all of Jackson's confused feelings in two sentences. Jackson stared at him in awe, Karev always did have a way of making a really messed up situation seem so simple. He opened his mouth to speak but his pager went off. He grabbed his book and dumped his trash from lunch in the garbage before he headed to the nurses' station.

"What's up?" He inquired.

The nurse that had paged him smiled and inclined her head towards a patient's room. "You told me to page you when Jeff woke up."

"Thanks Molly," he smiled brightly before he bounded into his patient's room.

Jeff blearily peered up at him. "What's up, doc?" He joked in a hoarse voice.

Jackson chuckled as he checked Jeff's vitals. "Your surgery went great. It looks great and after some physical therapy, function will be completely normal."

"That's awesome," Jeff sighed, "finally. Thanks Dr. Avery."

"No problem," Jackson answered as he stood at the end of Jeff's hospital bed.

"So," Jeff began with a pleasant smirk. "Have you told the girl that you're a terrible person that can't let her be happy with another guy?"

"Actually, yes," he frowned.

The man looked at the handsome doctor compassionately. "Didn't go well, huh?"

"You could say that," Jackson chuckled awkwardly.

"Well, if a guy like you can't get the girl than there's not much hope for us average Joes."

Out of his peripheral vision, Jackson caught sight of a pretty brunette hesitantly approaching the room. He had never met the infamous Amanda before, but he had a feeling that this was her. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he grinned.

Jeff raised his eyebrows questioningly but his expression quickly relaxed and then transformed into one of pure happiness when he caught sight of his visitor. "Amanda, hey, how's it going?"

Jackson smiled to himself as he stealthily slipped out of the room to give the couple some privacy. He found an empty on-call room and decided to use his free time to finish the book he was reading.

* * *

Jackson impatiently knocked on April's apartment door. He was far too worked up to use the doorbell. He had finished _Mrs. Dalloway _and his new realizations had not put him in a good mood. He now understood why their relationship had failed and he was not happy about the newly discovered reasons. He hadn't been able to stop himself from rushing to April's apartment to talk to her. He was even still in his scrubs! He banged and banged on her door until she finally answered.

"Jackson, what in the world…?"

"Are you alone?" He asked desperately. She nodded so he grabbed her by the waist and roughly pushed past her. He huffed angrily as he stood in the middle of her living room.

"Jackson!" She squealed as she shut her door and strode into the adjoining room to face him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

He raised the copy of _Mrs. Dalloway_ in his hand and showed it to her before he angrily flung it on her couch. "You're calling me Peter Walsh aren't you?"

April simply stared at him in shock. She hadn't expected him to spend his day reading the book that she had fleetingly mentioned this morning.

"Peter Walsh may be a tool," he stated indignantly. "But he was crazy in love with Clarissa. And I get it now, I do," he implored. "You're scared of it, the passion, the heat of the sun, and all that crap. You're scared of what we have because it's let you down before, and Matt's the safe choice. I get all of that now."

April protectively crossed her arms over her chest and refused to confirm or deny his comments. "Okay," she nodded slowly.

"But that's what I loved about being with you," he continued. "That spark that we discovered in San Francisco…that had obviously been lying dormant for a very long time, that's my favourite part." He advanced towards her as a seductive smile graced his face. "I've never felt so compelled to be near someone, _ever_. It's like magnetic energy."

She knew exactly what he was talking about but she was unable to speak. Her tongue felt like led.

"I don't want to fight it anymore. I broke up with Stephanie." Her eyes widened and he couldn't stop himself from telling her the truth. "Well actually, she broke up with me. She accused me of being in love with someone else."

"Jackson." She choked out his name and began to move backwards as he continued to walk towards her. She finally hit the wall behind her and she placed both of her hands on his chest to keep him as far away from her as possible. "Don't," she whispered pleadingly.

"Don't what?" He whispered. He raised a hand to gently cup her face and he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

She had seen that look on his face before and she knew exactly what was running through his mind. His eyes were mesmerizing and she had a hard time looking away even though she told herself that she had to. He dropped his other hand to her waist and she sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't," she warned as she attempted to raise her voice to a more intimidating level.

"Please," he gasped.

His heated breath washed over her and it sent shivers down her spine. The spark was her favourite part too but it was dangerous and damaging, and had caused them both a lot of heartache and guilt. The practical side of her detested the spark and hated San Francisco but then she looked at him and everything just…

He dipped his head to capture her lips and she whimpered at the contact. God, he had missed kissing her. She was so soft and delicate. The kiss that he gave her was innocent and sweet but it still produced a coil of heat in the pit of his stomach.

She still felt weak in the knees and the powerful urge to pull him closer. However, she tore herself away from him instead. "Jackson…I, uh…I c-can't," she stuttered.

He reached for her hand but she crossed her arms over her chest again. "April, come on," he begged. "Let's just be together."

"I have a boyfriend," she stated firmly. "I'm happy with him. I want to be friends with you."

She was still fighting him and he wasn't sure what else he had to do. He sighed in frustration before he gritted out, "Friends?"

"Yes," she nodded, "friends, like we used to be."

"Like we used to be," he repeated dully. What she really meant was that she wanted to be friends like they were before San Francisco. He thought about it for a moment before he pushed his shoulders back and forced a smile. "Okay, friends."

If she wanted a friend then he would be her friend, but that sure as hell didn't mean that he was giving up on her.

* * *

**A/N: So if you haven't read _Mrs. Dalloway _then what you need to know is that Peter Walsh proposed to Clarissa and she said no because she was afraid that his heat would consume her. I think that it really fits April and Jackson.**

**Please leave a review! :) **


	4. Part 4

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! I enjoy reading every single one! I feel like people are responding to this story in a very interesting way, and it makes me enjoy writing it even more. Enjoy the update! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

* * *

Jackson sat on a stool at Joe's and nursed his glass of whiskey, his fifth of the night so far. He was bitter, there was no denying it. He was bitter and pissed off. He didn't want to be April's friend, being April's friend sucked! He was doing his best, he had already endured two days of pretending that they hadn't kissed and that they were just friends, but it was brutal. He hated all of the lying and pretending and faking…

He couldn't remember the last time that he had been in such a foul mood. The more that he thought about their situation the more frustrated that he became. He understood her better now than ever before but he didn't understand why she couldn't move past everything. They had both made mistakes. They were both at fault. She had hurt him too and yet he was ready to jump back in with both feet. He knew that she was scared, but that was okay, they could be scared together. They could figure it out together.

So he believed that what was really holding her back had to be the new guy. The paramedic…_Matthew_. He had to be giving her some idealistic, unrealistic view of a relationship, which wasn't fair to April. She deserved to be happy but this guy was just too perfect. He was definitely hiding something. He was playing her.

So Jackson had invited the guy to Joe's for a drink so that he could figure him out. He had just gotten a bit of a head start on the drinking.

Matt took a deep breath before he opened the door of the bar. He had been very taken aback when Jackson Avery had invited him to have a drink but he didn't want the other man to think that he was afraid or anything. He had no reason to cower, he was the one dating April after all. His girlfriend assured him that it would be fine and that Jackson was just being friendly, but he just couldn't help but think that the surgeon had an ulterior motive.

He strode up to the bar and took a seat next to the man in question. "Hey Jackson," he greeted pleasantly.

"Hey Matt, what'll it be?"

"I'll have a beer," he told the bartender with a smile.

"You hungry?" Jackson inquired. "They have pretty good food here."

"Sure," Matt nodded. He was actually starving. He had just finished his shift and he hadn't eaten yet.

"Hey Joe, can we get two plates of burgers and fries, please?" Jackson turned to Matt and asked, "The works or…?"

"Yeah, everything is great," he replied. He awkwardly glanced up at the television and sipped his beer after they had ordered their food. The awkward silence had already set in and Matt wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't the one that had suggested this evening after all. He also had a feeling that besides the glaringly obvious, he and Jackson Avery didn't have much in common.

Jackson observed the paramedic's interest in what was on the television and so he commented, "Hockey fan?"

"Yeah, I've been cheering for the Canucks for years."

Jackson smirked to himself as he took a drink from his glass. He was judging the man next to him, 'a hockey fan,' he inwardly scoffed, April detested hockey more than any other sport.

Joe brought out their food and they continued to chat about sports as they ate and drank.

Finally, Jackson felt drunk enough to address the topic that they were both obviously thinking about it. "So, you and April?"

Matt gulped nervously, "Yeah."

"What do you like about her?" Jackson probed nosily. He wanted to hear what the guy could come up with.

Matt chuckled to himself, "What do I like about her?" That was a really loaded question. He liked everything about April; there was nothing that he didn't like. She was incredible. "She's strong, and independent, and kind. She's funny in a really quirky, adorable way. She's so intelligent and hardworking, and she cares about her patients more than any doctor I've ever met." He stared ahead dreamily as he finished, "And she's so breathtakingly beautiful that I can't look at her for too long without losing my train of thought." He chuckled, "It sounds cheesy but it's true."

"Shit," Jackson sighed after a pause. Matt was really into her. He had gotten pretty good at reading people over the years and he could tell by the tone of Matt's voice that he was being honest and sincere. Jackson thought that he just had a crush or something worse; he didn't think that there were genuine feelings involved already. He pivoted on his stool so that he faced Matt and he looked at the other man remorsefully. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Matt asked in confusion.

"I asked you to hang out so that I could convince you that April isn't right for you," he confessed. "I thought that I could talk you out of dating her."

Matt's face fell into a frown. "Oh. Why?"

"Cuz I'm an asshole," he responded before he downed the last of his drink.

"Because you're in love with her," Matt corrected gloomily.

Jackson opened his mouth to speak, to say what he wasn't entirely sure, but he was interrupted by the bell above the door ringing. He turned towards the entrance and laid eyes on their favourite red-head.

April bounded up to them excitedly. "Hi! How's it going?" She asked with a bright smile.

"Great," Matt answered before Jackson had a chance to respond. "We're just bonding over shared interests."

Jackson didn't miss the meaning behind his words but he forced a smile. "Do you want a drink April?"

"Yes please!"

Matt watched as Jackson ordered April a glass of scotch. He didn't even need to ask first, he already knew what she liked. Matt eased himself off of his stool and stood up. "I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." He softly kissed April's temple. "You can have my fries."

Jackson tried not to wince as he saw how natural and easy it was for them to be innocently affectionate with each other. He and April had never been like that. Their relationship had existed entirely behind closed doors.

April took Matt's place next to him and started to pick at the leftover fries on her boyfriend's plate. Joe laid her scotch down in front of her and she smiled in thanks. "This was nice of you Jackson," she began.

"I'm a douchebag and you know it," he muttered. "I wanted to scare the guy away."

"Jackson," she scolded. She had actually believed that inviting Matt out for a drink had been a gesture of new friendship from Jackson.

"I know! I know! I just…" He trailed off and groaned in frustration. He ran both of his hands over his face before he spoke again. "I'm not going to apologize to you because I'm not really sorry." She stared at him affronted and he couldn't help but smirk. "Because the reason that I did it is because I want you and that's not going to change."

"You're very stubborn," she told him quietly. She downed her drink all at once and felt the liquid pleasurably burn her throat. She took a deep breath as she ran a hand through her hair and thought for a moment. She wasn't sure how to deal with this. She had gone her entire life being invisible to the male gender. She had never been the type that guys noticed. But now she had a wonderful boyfriend and Jackson Avery was pursuing her, no matter how many times she told him to stop. "I don't know how to deal with this," she voiced.

He reached forward and tenderly brushed her hair behind her ear. "Me either," he whispered.

"I really like him." She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she confessed her feelings for another man. She hated that she was doing this to Jackson but she had to make herself clear. She was committed to a relationship with Matthew.

"And he really cares about you. He seems like a nice guy. I hate him," he laughed into his glass.

"Jackson," she sighed. She wanted to offer him some words of comfort but nothing came to mind. She watched Matt return for the bathroom and she offered him a smile. "Hey, wanna get outta here?"

"Sure," he smiled. "I'll get a cab."

"I'll be right behind you!"

Matt pulled a couple of bills from his wallet and laid them on the bar. "Thanks Jackson. We should do this again sometime," he stated politely.

"Yeah, sure, man," the surgeon responded.

The paramedic left the bar and Jackson stared at April longingly. "Have a good night," he spoke regretfully.

"Yeah, you too," she answered as she stood up. She had no idea what came over her, but before she left Joe's, she blurted out, "I'm not sleeping with him."

And with that revelation, she ran out of the bar.

Jackson triumphantly grinned to himself as he watched her leave.

"Another drink Avery?" Joe asked when he noticed his empty glass.

"No," Jackson smiled happily. "I think that I'll close out my tab for the night."

* * *

April curled into Matthew's side as they watched a movie on her sofa. His arm was wrapped around her and her head was resting on his chest. He was so comfortable, like a giant teddy bear, but she couldn't help but feel like something was bothering him. She hoped that his time with Jackson hadn't made him too uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly as she glanced up at him.

He smiled down at her as he ran his hand up her side. God, she was so pretty. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" She inquired uneasily. "Is it the movie? Do you wanna watch something different?"

"No, the movie's great," he assured her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She pushed as she gently rubbed her hand over his chest.

"I just…uh…ahh…" He sighed and closed his eyes to try to compose himself.

She could feel the tension rolling off of his body in waves so she pulled away from him and created some space between them on the sofa. "Matthew?"

"It's Jackson," he finally confessed. He really wanted to stop discussing the plastic surgeon with her but now he couldn't stop thinking about the guy, which was incredibly annoying because he wanted to focus all of his thoughts and energy on his beautiful girlfriend. He didn't want another guy to be the focal point of their relationship.

She instantly became nervous. "Why? What did he say tonight?"

"I just…I," he stammered. "I really like you, you know that," he stated as he scooted towards her and placed his hand on her calf. "But I just can't stop thinking about some things, like…Why did you and Jackson break up?"

April thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip. That was a question that she had asked herself many times and she still wasn't sure if she had found the answer. "I'm not entirely sure," she told him quietly. "We weren't in the same place. We weren't exactly the best at effectively communicating. I had a lot of things to sort through…regarding sex," she confessed. She and Matthew had discussed sex and their sexual histories the night that Jackson had unceremoniously showed up at her apartment so she wasn't uncomfortable bringing it up in front of him. It was actually a relief to have all of that out in the open. She took a deep breath before she shrugged and simply summed it up, "We just didn't work."

"Do you miss him?" He asked shakily.

"I miss him as my best friend," she said honestly. She was trying to repress all of her other feelings for him and she knew that they would eventually fade to a dull throb. She knew that if she let Matthew in, Jackson would be pushed aside.

"I don't think he feels the same way," he muttered. He leaned forward until their noses were touching and he slid the hand that wasn't resting on her leg up her arm until it settled on the curve between her neck and shoulder. "I can let you go if you want," he whispered, "you were always too good to be true."

April scrunched up her nose in displeasure and wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders. "I don't want you to," she replied before she kissed him.

"You sure?" He persisted. He really didn't want to hold her back if she was in love with another man. He had been raised to be a gentleman and he just wanted her to be happy, whether it was with him or Jackson Avery.

"Yes," she murmured against his lips. "Are you sure that you don't want to run for the hills?" Now that he knew practically everything about her and Jackson, he deserved an out too.

He nodded as he slipped his hands around her waist. "Yeah, I'm sure."

They kissed a little bit more before she pulled away and ran her mouth along his jaw. "You can sleep here tonight, if you want," she whispered in his ear.

His whole body stilled and he felt a wave of nerves rush over him. He knew that when she said sleep, she actually meant sleep, but it was still a big step for them. It was very intimate and once again, he was afraid of embarrassing himself. "I do…want to…I," he stammered.

"Okay then," she smiled. She hopped off of her couch and to her feet, and she held out her hand. "Let's go to bed," she spoke invitingly.

* * *

Stephanie Edwards couldn't help but feel a shred of sympathy for her ex as she watched him yearningly stare at the red-headed trauma surgeon from across the nurses' station. She took a moment to observe him and she wondered how it had taken her so long to notice his feelings for Kepner. It was so obvious when you paid attention. She supposed that she had been wearing blinders. They had been having so much fun together and he was such an incredible guy that she hadn't wanted to see what was right in front of her.

She took a deep breath before she approached him; she was on his service once again. "Here are those lab results, Dr. Avery."

"Thank you, Dr. Edwards," he responded.

They were acting civil and professional towards each other but there was some lingering awkwardness. They had seen each other naked, he was an attending and she was an intern, and he wanted another woman. Awkwardness was unavoidable but they still worked well together.

Dr. Kepner walked up to them and Stephanie gulped. All they needed was Matthew and it would officially be awkward for all parties involved.

"Jackson, where do you stand on the issue of plastics sharing a lab with ortho?" She inquired as she looked down at the clipboard she held in her hands.

"I'm completely fine with that," he answered quickly. Plastics and ortho worked together a lot anyway, it would probably be convenient. "I am worried about something else though."

"What?" She asked in concern.

"I'm worried about what will happen to the burn center if they close the ER. There might not be much need for it, and the burn center was Mark's pride and joy, I'd like to keep it up and running."

April's eyes softened as she nodded. He wanted to keep Mark Sloan's legacy at Seattle Grace Mercy West. It was sweet and fitting. "I will pass that on to Derek," she told him truthfully.

Stephanie had to physically bite her tongue to prevent herself from saying something. She just wanted to shout at them but that would probably get her into trouble. Why couldn't they just make up? The way that they looked at each other was maddening. It made her feel a tiny bit better that she hadn't lost Jackson to some passing fling or infatuation, what they had was very strong and special.

"And I'm willing to take a salary cut," he offered.

"Jackson—"

She started to chastise him but he interrupted her. "It's not like I really need the money." He had a trust fund and his yearly salary was a little outrageous for a fellow. "Just keep it in mind."

She gave him a small nod and a soft smile before she turned around and walked away.

Jackson turned to Stephanie with an apology on the tip of his tongue but she waved him off. He didn't want to rub his feelings for April in Stephanie's face but it seemed as if it was inevitable.

"It's okay. I'm fine…but you're not."

He chucked without humor. "No, I'm not, but I could be worse."

He felt truly dejected but it was the truth, he could be worse. At least she wasn't having sex with Matt. He was still her first and only. That thought was going to give him peace for however long it was true.

* * *

**A/N: The next installment will be the last and I will tackle the 9x16 synopsis!**

**Please leave a review! :)**


	5. Part 5

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! So I don't even know where to begin to discuss 9x15. Matthew and April are adorable but so many Japril feels. I don't understand why he can't just tell her that he loves her because he clearly does...but anyway...frustrating. Lol.**

**Enjoy the last installment! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's.**

* * *

April sighed in contentment as she snuggled into Matthew's chest and sleepily blinked in an effort to wake herself up. She wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his firm pectoral muscle. "You are so warm it makes me never want to leave my bed."

Matt smiled to himself as he tangled a hand in her gorgeous hair. He wanted to just lie here too but sadly they both had to go to work. "I have to be at work in an hour," he stated regretfully.

She tightened her body around his even further, wrapping her calf around his own, and pulled down the collar of his t-shirt so that she could place a kiss on his collarbone. "I can't wait until we both have the day off."

He felt that nervous energy build inside of him once again. The thought of spending an entire day in bed with April was…

"Can I use your shower?"

"Sure," she smiled as she lightly brushed her fingers down his chest. "But you're going to have to use all my girly products."

He laughed and slowly slipped out of her bed. "That's fine. I won't mind smelling like you for the day." He leaned down and softly kissed her lips before he left the room and headed for the bathroom.

April stretched lazily before she smiled into her pillow. Her relationship with Matthew was going even better than she had imagined. It was romantic, open, and honest. They talked for hours and went out to dinner and the movies. It was an actual, real, adult relationship, not one that was based solely on sex. It had been two weeks since she had invited him to stay the night for the first time, and staying over allowed them to spend even more time together. And she just felt _so_ comfortable with him. She loved sleeping beside him. He was warm and gentle, cuddly yet respectful. He was the perfect gentleman. He never caused her to feel pressured into being physical with him or uncomfortable about sex. They were still taking things slowly. Most importantly, he didn't make her feel like a Jesus freak.

He was so wonderful.

She finally got out of bed and pulled on her robe. She walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot while she patiently waited for him to get out of the shower.

She heard the water turn off and minutes later she heard feet padding on her hardwood floor. Two large hands grasped her hips and she bit down on her bottom lip in delight. "Want some coffee?"

"Yes, please," he whispered.

She poured him a cup and turned around to hand it to him. Her eyes widened as she took in the image of him standing in front of her with just a towel wrapped around his waist…riding low on his hips. She wasn't used to seeing him so naked, he slept in a t-shirt and sweatpants and he had never showered at her place before. She knew that he had a nice body but it was even better glistening with water droplets. He was so tall and broad…and he had the warmest brown eyes.

She tentatively reached out and placed both of her hands flat against his chest.

"Did you have a nice shower?" She asked breathily.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I did." He placed the mug in his hand on the kitchen table behind him before he boldly took a step forward and pressed their bodies together. "I smell like almonds and peaches now though."

She giggled while sliding her hands upward until they threaded through his damp hair. She tugged him down for a kiss and he eagerly reciprocated. He hoisted her up onto the kitchen counter and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She moaned and roughly captured his bottom lip between hers when he ran his hands up her body and grazed the undersides of her breasts.

"April," he gasped excitedly. He really wanted to continue this but he knew that they couldn't.

"I know," she murmured remorsefully against his mouth, "I have the worst timing ever. I have to get in the shower."

He kissed her while tenderly cupping her jaw before he pulled away. She pouted at him and he raised an eyebrow. "Don't do that, my willpower is weak as it is."

"Sorry," she laughed. She hopped off of the counter and hugged him. She placed a kiss on his neck, then one on his chin, and finally, one on his lips. She provocatively ran her fingers along the sensitive dip below his hip bone and grinned when she heard his breath hitch. "Rain check?"

"Definitely," he groaned.

She smiled before she pecked his lips and scurried down the hallway.

Matt took a deep breath to compose himself before he returned to April's bedroom and dressed in his clothes from the night before. He had just pulled his t-shirt over his head when April's doorbell rang. He paused for a moment before he walked to the front door and pulled it open.

"Jackson?" He questioned in surprise.

Jackson couldn't help but glare at the man standing in front of him. Matt hair's was damp and his feet were bare. He was comfortable here, in April's apartment, and it wasn't even eight o'clock in the morning. His fists involuntarily clenched at his sides. The paramedic had an inch and a bit on him and he was a bigger guy but Jackson thought that he could take him. He had played college football after all.

"Is April around?" He finally managed to speak.

"She's in the shower," Matt answered. He shifted his feet awkwardly before he pulled the door open wider. "Ya wanna come in?"

Jackson nodded and stepped into the apartment. He looked down at the bag in his hand as he and the paramedic shared an uncomfortable silence. He had brought April a pastry from her favourite bakery. He and April were "friends" again and he knew that she was still seeing Matt but he still didn't enjoy the thought of the guy spending the night at her place. It made him feel very possessive and territorial, and a little sick. It also caused a lot of inappropriate questions to come to mind.

At least they weren't showering together. He and April had never done that.

"Soo…how are you?" Matt asked with a small smile.

"Good," Jackson nodded. "I've been busy at work. You?"

"Good," he returned. "Really good."

Matt and Jackson both breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the water shut off.

April emerged from the bathroom in her robe and was shocked to find Jackson in her living room. "Hey," she smiled awkwardly, "it's a little early for a visit."

"I really need to talk to you," he stated desperately.

Matt nodded before he announced, "I need to leave for work anyway."

April smiled at him and gently brushed her hand along his arm as he walked past her. It really seemed like something was bothering Jackson but she wasn't sure if it warranted an early morning visit. Maybe they needed to set some new boundaries.

Matt returned from her bedroom fully dressed with his coat in his hand and his bag slung over his shoulder. "Well, I'm off," he mumbled.

April stepped up to him and softly kissed his cheek. "Have a good day."

"You too," he smiled. "I'll call you during lunch."

Matt headed towards the door but couldn't help but look over his shoulder before he left the apartment. The way that Jackson was looking at her made him feel uncomfortable, like he was intruding on a very intimate, private moment. And the way that she was looking back at him…

He swallowed harshly and frowned to himself.

"So," April began curiously when she heard her front door close behind Matthew.

"I brought breakfast," he smiled pleasantly.

She smiled back at him and replied, "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

He nodded and followed her into the kitchen. He sat at the table and pulled the pastries out of the bag while she poured two cups of coffee.

She sat down at the table across from him and he couldn't help but stare at her naked collarbone peeking out of her robe. She looked beautiful. He was brought out of her thoughts when she spoke.

"So what do you need to talk about?" She asked as she took a sip from her mug.

He took a deep breath before he answered. "I've been toying with this for a while but I didn't want to tell you until it was for sure, and now it is." She raised an eyebrow in interest so he continued, "My grandfather offered me a job at Mass Gen and I'm going to take it. I'm moving to Boston."

Her face fell but she rearranged it so quickly that he didn't even catch her expression of disappointment. "Wow," she smiled brightly. "That's great! I mean, if that's what you think is best for you."

"I think it is," he told her quietly.

When his mother had first proposed the idea to him he had shot her down immediately. But the more that he thought about it, the more that he realized that she was right, there was nothing left for him in Seattle anymore. The hospital was having financial problems; his mother had called Seattle Grace a sinking ship. Mark was gone and April had Matthew. He needed to think about his career and his life. He could do great things at Mass Gen and he could settle down in Boston.

"Well, I'm happy for you." She reached out and tenderly touched his hand. "You're gonna be a household name, and not because you're another Avery, because you're a great plastic surgeon."

He grinned, "Thanks." She was the first person that he had ever met that hadn't cared about his name and he had almost forgotten how much he loved that. She had always liked him for him, not because he was an Avery, or a pretty face. Their bond had always been genuine, even from the very beginning. He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her again so he cleared his throat and quickly hopped to his feet. "I should go but I'll see you at work."

"Yeah," she nodded with a smile. "See you soon."

* * *

April went through her day like a zombie. Time seemed to drag on and there was nothing that she could do about it. She was lucky that she only had routine procedures scheduled because she was unable to truly focus. She was unable to think about anything besides the fact that Jackson was leaving. Jackson was moving to Boston…across the country…away from her.

Jackson was leaving her.

She felt a dangerous swell of emotions rush over her and she rushed to the nearest supply closet. She dropped to the floor in the corner of the room and began to sob.

_Jackson was leaving her._

He had always been there for her. They had been through everything together since they had both moved to Seattle and now he was leaving. It seemed unreal, like some cruel prank.

Jackson was leaving her and she hadn't even been honest with him. She told him that it was great…that she was happy for him, when all that she had wanted to do was to ask him to stay. But that wouldn't have been fair. She was with Matthew and she knew how Jackson felt about her…but she really didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to lose her best friend. She couldn't imagine her life without him.

The door to the room opened and she instantly covered her face with her scrub top.

"April? Are you okay?"

She recognized Meredith's voice and she tentatively raised her head. "Y-yeah, I'm f-fine," she stuttered.

Meredith frowned. "He told you, didn't he? Jackson told you that he's leaving."

"Yeah," she admitted. "He did."

The general surgeon paused for a moment before she moved across the room and sat down next to the red-head. "Are you really okay?" She asked softly. April simply shook her head and Meredith sighed. "Then ask him to stay. He hasn't given Owen his resignation yet."

"I can't," she whined. "That's not fair to him; it would be very selfish of me."

"But that's what he wants to hear."

April angrily wiped away her tears. "I don't know that for sure."

* * *

"It doesn't matter," Jackson muttered as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. "She didn't ask me to stay."

"Dude," Alex sighed in frustration. "It's Kepner!"

Jackson looked at his friend over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow in confusion. Just stating her surname was not an appropriate explanation for why she had not asked him to stay in Seattle.

"I just mean," the peds doctor continued, "is that she's not good at being vulnerable. She's so worried that everyone thinks she's weak that she's put up more walls than the rest of us combined!"

Jackson stopped folding his lab coat and turned around to face the other man. "That's surprisingly insightful."

Alex merely shrugged. "I have my moments but that's not the point. The point is that you gotta make the first move. She's gonna let you go unless you demand that she doesn't."

Karev was absolutely right. April was willing to let him go because she cared about him, but he wanted her to ask him to stay for the same reason. He had felt actual bodily pain when she had smiled and said that she was happy for him. He had wanted her to be upset. He had wanted her to think about what she could be missing out on if he left. He had wanted her to make him change his mind…he still wanted that.

He thought that he had made everything clear to her about how he felt but the one thing that he hadn't done was blatantly obvious. He had never said those words to a woman that wasn't his mother. It was scary. What if he said it and she didn't say it back? What if he said it and she still chose Matt? He wasn't sure if he could handle that.

Jackson raised his head and looked at Alex with the utmost seriousness. "I know that she has that paramedic but will you keep an eye on her? As a favour to me, will you look out for her?"

Alex thought about replying in the affirmative before he narrowed his eyes and spat, "Do it yourself Avery."

Jackson couldn't help but laugh at Karev's reaction as he watched him storm out of the locker room. Who knew that Alex Karev was such a romantic at heart?

* * *

April spotted Matthew waiting for her in the main lobby and she mustered up the brightest smile that she could. However, she wasn't fooling him.

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately. She had sounded weird on the phone when he had called her on his lunch break but he had figured that it was patient related. Now, he wasn't so sure. He had seen her upset over patients, and the expression on her face now was entirely different.

She bit down on her bottom lip and thought for a moment about whether or not she wanted to tell him the truth. She knew that he deserved to hear the truth and she needed to get it off of her chest. "Jackson came over this morning to tell me that he's moving to Boston and I just…I don't want to lose my best friend. I've already been through that once. It'll be okay though," she stated unconvincingly. She slipped her hand into his and started to walk forward but he stood immobilized. "What?" She inquired with a smile.

"April," he sighed, "we need to talk."

She frowned, that did not sound good. "What's up?" She asked as perkily as she could.

He pulled her into him and brought a hand up to cup her jaw. "You're perfect," he began regretfully. "You are actually perfect for me and I think about you every minute of the day but I just can't stop wishing that I'd met you six months earlier."

She furrowed her brow in confusion and shakily asked, "Why?"

"Because then maybe you wouldn't be in love with somebody else."

"What?" She asked taken aback. "Jackson? I've moved on. I'm happy with you."

He closed his eyes in frustration. He didn't want to do this but he had to. "April, I want to believe that but I can't, not really, and I can't…I can't keep going like this."

"So, are you…are you breaking up with me?" She asked sadly.

He nodded and she could tell how hard this was for him. "I don't want to," he retorted. "But I just feel like I'm not being fair to you…We're not being fair to each other. You gotta ask him to stay."

April looked down at her feet before she raised her head and smiled miserably. She didn't have the strength to argue with him because she knew that he was right. She had barely given Matthew a second thought today. It was hard to let him go but she could imagine her life without him. She absolutely could not, under any circumstances, imagine her life without Jackson.

"You are so amazing. You are such an amazing guy," she repeated.

And she wondered if they had met six months earlier if things would have turned out differently. Maybe. Maybe not. She couldn't help but think that she and Jackson had been on this path for a long time.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It's okay," he smiled. "I'm sorry too but it's okay."

She pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Some woman out there is really lucky."

He laughed shyly, "Thanks." He couldn't stop himself from kissing her one last time. "And Avery is a ridiculously lucky guy."

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

Jackson had decided to take Karev's advice so he found himself rushing to April's apartment after leaving the hospital. He was going to demand answers. He needed an explanation. He needed to know how she felt before he left, whether it was good or bad, he needed to know.

So he was standing on her doorstep in the pouring rain, repetitively ringing her doorbell. But she wasn't home. There were no lights on. He rang the bell one last time before he hung his head and sighed. She was probably on a date, or at Matt's apartment, or just _somewhere_ with him. Well he supposed that was his answer. She had made up her mind.

He slapped his flat palm against her door in frustration before he walked back to his car.

He drove back to his place, where he desperately needed to start packing, and was surprised, yet overjoyed, to find April sitting on the steps in front of his door.

"April?"

She hopped to her feet and smiled awkwardly. "Hi! I was worried that you weren't coming home!"

He had a million questions for her but he quickly realized that they probably shouldn't be having this conversation outside. "Come on, let's go inside."

He took her hand and pulled her towards his door. He found his keys in his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. They stumbled inside and he noticed April visibly shiver. He left her for a moment to grab a few towels from his bathroom and he handed her one with a smile.

"Thanks!" She shed her soaking wet jacket before she wrapped the towel around her body and watched him do the same.

"So why are you here?" He asked fearfully as they stood facing each other.

"I…um…I needed to talk to you. Matthew broke up with me. He accused me of being in love with someone else," she admitted quietly. "And I don't want you to go. You're my best friend but I want to be with you too. I like the spark and the passion, and I'm tired of trying so hard not to want you. I want you to stay in Seattle, or I could come with you? Maybe…I dunno. I'm retaking my boards in a few months and after that, hopefully, I'll be able to get a job mostly anywhere and I—"

Jackson cut off her ramble by advancing towards her and giving her a passionate kiss. He wrapped one arm around her waist and tightly held her body to his while the other tangled a hand in her wet hair. He smiled against her mouth when she wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders and started to kiss him back.

So she wanted him too. _Finally_.

He ended the kiss but kept their foreheads pressed together. "I…uh…I…"

She helped him out by placing her fingers against his lips. She knew what he was trying to say. "It's okay," she whispered, "I'm not sure if I'm ready to say it either."

"But I do," he stated adamantly.

"Me too," she smiled. "I do too."

He smiled before he kissed her again. Neither of them had said those words but they both knew that they felt that way about each other and now they could be honest about everything. They wouldn't be making the same mistakes that they had the last time.

He broke away from her and she looked at him in concern but he softly tucked her hair behind her ear to assure her that nothing was wrong. "Can I take you to dinner sometime?"

"Yes," she giggled. "Yes! I would love that."

"Great," he chuckled. "It's a date."

* * *

One week later…

"Seriously Jackson," Meredith laughed, "you need to relax."

Jackson stared at himself in the mirror and straightened his collar for the sixth time. The last time that he had been this nervous was probably when he had scrubbed in on his first surgery at Mercy West. But Meredith was right, he needed to relax.

"You and Kepner have screwed before so I think that you'll be fine," Alex chirped.

"Yeah but we've never had dinner together before," he argued. "At least not as a couple. This is a big deal to me."

Alex chuckled as he sat on the couch next to Meredith and Cristina, and they all watched the plastic surgeon obsess over his appearance like a teenager on his first date. "If it's any consolation, she's probably freaking out just as much as you," he offered.

Jackson smiled to himself as he thought about April. Yeah, she probably was. They had been spending tonnes of time together since their reconciliation, but this was their official first date. He was taking her to a nice restaurant and then they were probably going to end up at one of their apartments, and although they definitely weren't going to have sex, he was nervous and excited in a way he'd never felt before. He felt like a whole new person and it was exhilarating.

"Are you ready?" A voice called from the doorway.

Jackson turned his head and smiled at his girlfriend. She had gotten ready in the women's washroom to keep some of the mystery alive, and it was worth it, she looked breathtaking. She was wearing a knee length, black skirt and a long-sleeved, blue top.

"We match," he grinned as he gestured towards his blue, button-down shirt.

April smiled back at him as she stepped into the room. "We do."

He walked up to her and slipped his arms around her waist. He kissed her softly and whispered, "You look beautiful."

She blushed as she ran her hands along his shoulders. "Thank you. You look great too."

The three other surgical fellows in the room watched them gush over each other. They had been like this all week but they had been apart for so long that none of them could really blame them. It was impossible to dampen their mood anyway; they were so into each other that they didn't even notice other people most of the time.

Finally, Cristina cleared her throat. "Okay you two, take the show on the road."

Jackson couldn't even suppress his grin as he grabbed his jacket and turned towards their friends. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," Cristina and Alex replied together.

"And have a nice night," Meredith added.

"Thanks," April smiled.

Jackson threaded his fingers through hers and led her out of the attendings' lounge. "I bought you chocolates," he confessed as they walked down the hall. "They're in my pocket."

He had been doing things like that all week, buying her chocolates and little trinkets and bringing her flowers, and just acting so adorable and sweet that it was hard not to be head over heels for him. _And _he had told her that he was willing to wait for her to have sex. He didn't care how long it took, he was willing to wait.

They hadn't forgotten anything that had happened since San Francisco but they were starting at square one. They had a clean slate.

She stopped walking and Jackson looked at her worriedly. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly. "Did you forget something?"

"Nope and nothing's wrong," she answered as she tugged him towards her and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Everything is…incredible," she sighed happily.

She kissed him hungrily and despite the fact that they standing in the middle of a hallway in Seattle Grace Mercy West; he couldn't stop himself from getting swept up in the moment. He ran both of his hands up her back and hugged her to him. He would kiss her anywhere. Anytime. Anywhere. She was his girlfriend now, they were public. Everyone in the hospital knew that they were together and that they were happy. He didn't want it any other way.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

He smiled to himself before he replied, "I love you too."

She buried her face in his neck and giggled. She had never said that before and no one had ever said that to her. "I'm probably going to say that all the time now."

"You will hear no complaints from me," he laughed.

She placed a kiss on his neck before she brought her mouth up to his ear. "After dinner can we go back to your place?" She asked him seductively. "Spend the night there?"

"Yeah," he responded breathlessly. "That'd be nice." She was suggesting that they spend the night together and that was also a huge step in their relationship. They had never actually slept together before and he was looking forward to it more than he thought he would. He was willing to bet that she was a cute sleeper. "Come on," he smiled. "Let's start with dinner."

* * *

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed the ending of this story! Can't wait til the new episode!**

**Please leave a final review! :)**


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